Resetting The Game
by PotCFan101
Summary: Three way crossover of Happy Death Day, Avengers, and Saw. Two years after stopping her attempted killer, Tree Gelbman is now an agent of SHIELD. Unfortunately for everyone, the killer known as Jigsaw has returned, and the only one who can stop him is Tree, given she can create time loops. Along the way, an ally of Tree discovers how she can create the loops in the first place.
1. Prologue: Starting a New Adventure

**A/N: This fic takes place in the same universe as my Child's Play/MCU fics, as a sort of spinoff. Hopefully I don't have anything contradicting all my other stories. Anyway, enjoy!**

_September 20th, 2017_

Tree Gelbman woke up to the sound of her phone's alarm going off. Unfortunately for her, she forgot to change the ringtone, so the same music was playing from a few days ago.

"_It's my birthday! And now you gotta pick up the phone! It's my birthday, can't you just leave me alone? It's-"_

Tree lunged for her phone, quickly shutting the noise off, and got out of bed.

"Hey, you're up." Tree's boyfriend, Carter Davis, noted. "You slept in again."

"Sorry." Tree mumbled. "I guess dying over a dozen times really drains your energy." Carter chuckled, walking over and kissing his girlfriend.

"How did I get lucky to have such a beautiful girlfriend?" Carter asked.

"I could say the same thing to you." Tree countered, before the two kissed again.

"Hey, guys-" Tree and Carter quickly broke apart from each other, staring in the direction of the doorway. Carter's room mate, Ryan, had barged into the room yet again.

"Dude. Seriously." Carter muttered, staring his friend down. "Out."

"Look, sorry for interrupting your make out sesh, but there's some guys here asking for you." Ryan stammered. "They don't look like they work here." As if on cue, Two men entered Carter's dorm, looking most definitely like they don't belong. One of them was a bald, African American man with an eyepatch over his left eye. The other wore what appeared to be a blue tunic, with a scarlet cloak and an oval shaped necklace.

"Who the Hell are you guys?" Tree asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My name is Nick Fury." The man with the eyepatch. "I'm the director of SHIELD."

"Wasn't that the organization that got taken over by HYDRA?" Carter asked. "Which was an offshoot of Nazis?"

"I'm running a new SHIELD." Fury explained. "It's supposed to be better than what it used to be."

"Cool." Tree smirked, before pointing to the man in the cloak. "Who's this?"

"Doctor Stephen Strange." The man in the tunic answered. "I'm here because i felt a ripple in time. Almost like a… time loop?" Tree felt her face heating up, and she grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah…" Gelbman said slowly. "The day kept resetting every time I died, until I solved my own murder and caught the killer." Strange and Fury looked at each other, almost in knowing, before turning back.

"Do you have any idea how you could have started the time loop?" Strange asked. In response, Tree shook her head.

"No, but each time I came back, I got a little bit weaker." Tree told the doctor. "If I had stayed in there for a longer time, I'd probably be dead for good."

"So, similar to Groundhog Day?" Ryan piped up.

"Seriously, man. Shut up." Carter hissed towards his friend, not wanting to embarass themselves in front of Fury or Strange.

"Interesting." Strange mused, fiddling with the necklace. "I once created a loop with the Time Stone last year…"

"The Time Stone?"

"Story for another time." Strange waved his hand, dismissing the question. "I'll look into this time loop you seemed to be in." With that, Strange created a circular portal with a wave of his hand, and disappeared in thin air.

"So cool." Ryan whispered. Fury gave the empty spot an odd look, before turning back to the teens.

"In the meantime, I've been thinking on something on the way here." Fury spoke up. "What do you think on becoming an agent for SHIELD?" Tree blinked, nearly not registering what the director said.

"You're kidding, right?" Tree laughed nervously. "I mean, I'm still a kid, and I have school-"

"We'll help pay for college." Nick Fury reassured Gelbman. "Besides, Stark recruited that one Spider kid, and he's still in high school."

"Spider-Man's not even legally a man?" Carter laughed. "That's hilarious!"

"I- I don't know." Tree fumbled her words, looking towards her boyfriend for support.

"Honestly, I think you should do it." Davis told her. "It'll help you out if someone tries killing you again, so you won't have to reset the day." Tree smiled, before turning back to Fury.

"Alright, Nick, I'm convinced." Tree told the director of SHIELD. "Just as long as I get through college first.

"Deal." Fury grinned, and stuck out his hand. Tree smiled back, grabbing the man's hand and shaking it.

* * *

Over the next several months, Tree continued college, while on weekends, she received special training as a SHIELD agent. True to his word, Fury and SHIELD helped in funding, much to the relief of Tree's father. Doctor Strange would visit from time to time, giving her more information on the Time Stone, but never had a concrete theory about how she ended up in a time loop in the first place.


	2. Let the Games Begin

**A/N: Did you know that today is the start of the Year of the Pig in the Chinese calendar? That's what inspired John Kramer to use pig related masks. That's also why I figured the Saw series took primarily in 2007.**

_Two Years Later_

Logan Nelson woke up drenched in sweat, finding that he was placed in a chair, and was in a fairly small room.

"What the fuck?" Nelson said out loud, having not remembered how he'd gotten there. After surveying his surroundings, he noticed a television set to the right of him, as well as a steel door in front of him. A few seconds later, the television turned on, revealing the all too familiar face of a white puppet with red spiral cheeks, wearing a black suit and sporting messy black hair.

"Oh, God…" Logan gasped, realizing he was in a Jigsaw trap. "Who did this to me? I helped you!"

"Hello, Logan." Logan's blood ran cold. He recognized that voice.

"Oh no…" Nelson pleaded. "Not this."

"You have been one of my closest accomplices for over ten years, and for that, I am grateful." The doll continued. "However, you never saw my vision. You have murdered in cold blood."

"No. Halloran deserved to die-" Logan tried saying, but the doll kept speaking.

"You put people in traps that were impossible to win." The doll with Jigsaw's voice told him. "I believe it is time you have had your own test. In seventy-five seconds, the steel door in front of you will close forever. You will need a keycard to access it, which is located under in your chest. Pay attention." The screen flickered, showing an x-ray of a human skeleton, with a type of card stuffed in the chest. Logan looked to his right, noticing a scalpel laying on a table.

"Oh, and one more thing." The doll showed up on the television once more. "If you do not make it out in time, the vents have been prepped to unleash Sarin gas into the room. Given your time in Fallujah, I do not believe I have to tell the effects." The screen shut off, and the digital clock in the corner began counting down.

_75…_

_74…_

"Oh, Jesus." Logan gasped in fear, and he quickly grasped the scalpel. Nelson gripped the small surgical tool, and stared at the clock. More than ten seconds had already passed.

_62…_

_61…_

"Shit." Logan muttered, and pressed the blade to his chest, but didn't break the skin yet.

_57…_

_56…_

Logan took several deep breaths, and stuck himself with the scalpel, gritting his teeth against the pain.

_40…_

_39…_

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Logan yelled, plunging the scalpel into his body, trying to work his way to the card.

_25…_

_24…_

The floor began to collect blood, and Logan's went wide from the pain.

"I can't do this." Logan whispered to himself. "I can't."

_11…_

_10…_

"FUCK!" Logan yelled, throwing the scalpel across the room and looked up, seeing what was undoubtedly a double sided mirror. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?!"

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

The metallic clank ringed through the air, and the steel door locked itself tight. With a hiss, a colorless gas began entering the room. Logan attempted covering his mouth, but it was too late, as his face began covering in boils, and he regurgitated foam from his mouth. Within minutes, Logan Nelson fell to the ground, the gas having killed him.

On the other side of the mirror, a man with a cane stood, overlooking Nelson's test.

"You were given a choice, but you failed." The man said solemnly, before turning to leave. "Like all the other apprentices, you failed to recognize my vision, and resorted to murder out of anger and vengeance." The man hobbled out of the room, before looking back to shut out the lights.

"Game over." The mystery man mumbled, and he shut the door.

* * *

Tree and Carter entered the Presidential Hotel in New York City, having put on their best clothes. Tonight was supposed to be a formal event, where Nick Fury wanted to congratulate her on not only finishing college, but also becoming a full fledged SHIELD agent.

"You ready?" Carter asked, gripping the door handle.

"Always." Tree smiled, and her boyfriend flung the doors open to the ballroom, where Fury was already speaking.

"...And, here she is now." Nick pointed out, and the crowd shifted their gaze towards Tree. "Please welcome SHIELD's newest agent, Theresa Gelbman." As people began clapping, Tree smiled.

"Good luck, Agent Gelbman. I'll be expecting great things from you." Nick continued, before walking off the stage, and the band continued to play. Tree and Carter began walking around, mingling with the guests, when Doctor Strange showed up, wearing his own black suit, and had a very expensive watch on his wrist.

"Doctor Strange!" Tree greeted. "It's been a few months."

"Indeed." Stephen agreed. "I've had to track down my old mentor, Mordo, after he assisted those Spanish ghosts from another world."

"Any luck?" Carter asked, curious.

"Yes." Strange grinned. "A few weeks ago, I caught him trying to destroy the New York Sanctum, and had imprisoned him in a parallel dimension."

"Do you have any idea why I can cause a time loop every time I die?" Tree inquired.

"My apologies, but no." Strange shook his head. "I have had to set that on the backburner, so to speak. What with two Asgardians coming to my doorstep, the crisis with Thanos, and the aforementioned invasion of ghosts, I have not had much time."

"It's fine, I haven't thought about it much myself." Tree waved it off. Strange nodded, and after promising that he would find out about the time loops, left the couple, just as Iron Man himself approached them.

"Well, I'd say congratulations and all, but Fury tends to use his agents as cannon fodder." Tony Stark said harshly. "The only ones I've seen survive a long time were Romanoff and Barton."

"Sounds like a challenge." Tree smirked. "Besides, at least Fury doesn't hire adolescents to do his chores."

"Firstly, he's called 'friendly neighborhood Spider-Man' for a reason. It's in the title." Stark shot back, becoming flustered. "Second, he started beating up small time crooks before I gave him a few new toys."

"Right." Tree rolled her eyes, before turning on her heels. "Nice meeting you, Mister Stark." Carter followed suit, leaving Tony to stew over what just happened. After sighing in annoyance, he finished his drink, a scotch on the rocks, and exited the party.

* * *

Half an hour later, Tony entered the New Avengers facility, knowing he'd probably be the only one there. After the battle with Thanos and the aftermath that followed, the Avengers had more or less gone their separate ways. Clint Barton officially retired, wanting to spend the rest of his life with his family. After the death of Vision, Wanda Maximoff travelled back to the remains of Sokovia to be alone. Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff also left for a life together, while the pirate known as Jack Sparrow, whom Tony considered a close friend, was off doing God knows what while commandeering his ship, the _Black Pearl_. Just like the Spanish ghosts Strange helped defeat Jack was not from their world, and had been spat out of a wormhole prior to the Chitauri invasion of New York seven years ago.

By now, the only person who still showed up to the facility, aside from Tony himself, was Steve Rogers, although it was occasional, as he was also sent on frequent missions.

"No one's home except me. Perfect." Tony grumbled, flipping on a light switch. However, Stark was mildly surprised, as the room stayed in the dark. "FRIDAY?" Still, no other noise sounded, and all Tony heard was his echo.

"Dammit." Tony cursed, and he began fumbling around the room for the flashlight he always kept on the counter. After stumbling for a few seconds, he finally made it to where he kept the torch, and with a light tab of a button, a beam of light shot out. Before Stark could do anything else, he felt a slight stab to his neck, and reaching up, pulled out a syringe.

"The Hell?" Tony mumbled, clumsily turning around to see a man holding a cane, wearing a black coat and pig mask. "No… you?" Those were his last words, as Tony fell like a sack of bricks onto the ground.

The man in the mask smiled, tossing a picture of a young woman with blonde hair onto the floor, before looking up and seeing a thinner figure with an identical mask.

"Have you taken the other one?" The man asked, in a gruff voice. The only response he received was a curt nod.

"Good. Now help me with him." The man nudged Stark's face with his cane. "I hope I put my faith in you correctly, knowing your obsession with my games…"


	3. Live or Die

Tony woke up with a loud gasp, finding himself laying on a dirty, grimy floor. A few seconds later, blinding lights turned on, temporarily stunning Stark for a moment until his eyes readjusted. In a second, he stared at his eyes, eyes growing wide with horror, as there were scars along his left forearm. That could only mean one thing.

Whoever did this to him ripped out the implants he used to activate his suits.

"Tony? That you?" Stark squinted, making out the form of an athletic man with blonde hair at the opposite end of the room.

"Steve?" Tony's eyes finally saw clearly, and Steve Rogers was indeed in the room with him. "Where the Hell are we?"

"I don't know." Rogers admitted. "But it looks like some kind of bathroom." Tony looked around, noticing that his left leg was chained up to a pipe. Stark immediately grabbed the chain, attempting to jerk it apart.

"Don't bother." Rogers commanded in a sad tone. "It's made of vibranium."

"How do you know?" Tony asked.

"Because I've already tried." Defeated, Stark put the chain down, while Steve continued to speak. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Unfortunately, I do." Stark nodded grimly. "This same thing happened back in 2007, before I became Iron Man. There was this guy, the media called him Jigsaw, who put all these people in different games or traps, to test if they were willing to go the extra mile and survive."

"And if they didn't?" Steve asked. Tony didn't respond, only looking down at the ground. "Oh God."

"How'd you get here?" Stark quickly asked. "I remember being drugged by some asshat in a pig mask. What about you?"

"Same here, but there were two of them." Steve revealed. "I just woke up recently."

"Could be a copycat." Tony said, out of the blue.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because the guy who was Jigsaw has been dead for over ten years." Tony told Rogers. "Funny thing is, that guy, John Kramer, he helped me design Stark Tower."

"So do you think this is revenge for something?"

"Don't know. Possibly. You've seen how many enemies I've had before I created the suit." Tony sat there for a moment, twiddling his thumbs, before he came up with an idea.

"Hang on. Check your pockets." Stark ordered, before adding, "If you find a cassette tape and player, listen to it." Both Avengers began rummaging through their pants pockets, with Steve being the first to withdraw his hand, showing a tape player with a cassette already in there.

"_Hello, Steve."_ Jigsaw's voice could be heard. "_You might not know me, but I know all about you. Then again, who doesn't know about the famous Captain America? You have always been a selfless poster boy for the United States, with your morals never bending. Well, except for when you chose a cold blooded murderer over your friend, Tony Stark. I want to play a game, Mister Rogers. Finish what you started in Siberia, and kill Stark. It should be easy, since you nearly did to save your friend, James Barnes. If you do not kill him in one hour, Barnes will die. Live or die. Make your choice."_

Tony's mouth hung open in horror, as did Steve's.

"Oh my God." Steve gasped. "He has Bucky!"

"This shouldn't be possible." Tony murmured.

"Why?" Steve asked angrily.

"Like I said, Kramer died twelve years ago. There's no way he could have known any of this." Tony reminded him.

"Could be a copycat." Steve suggested.

"Or an accomplice." Tony added, searching his pants. "He had a detective, Hoffman, working for him. Same with his wife, Jill Tuck, among others. Hang on, I got one too." Tony revealed he also had a cassette tape, and after Steve threw him the recorder, and he began listening to his instructions.

"_Hello, Tony. You might not remember me, but I remember you like it was only yesterday. I helped you design Stark Tower, and then you cast me aside as though I were lesser than you. But do not think that because I am dead, you are beyond retribution. Oh, you might say that you've changed, that you're making the world a better place, but I know you. You have ruined countless lives in what you believe is a noble cause. You are the sole reason that Gulmira was attacked by terrorists, choosing to sell weapons to the highest bidder. You forced an honest worker, Adrian Toomes, to become a criminal to provide for his family. And let's not forget Sokovia becoming a crater._

"_I want to play a game. In your other pocket is a cell phone. It has been fixed to only call your wife. You will call her and tell her to wire one billion dollars to Toomes' family, the city of Sokovia, and the village of Gulmira. You have one hour. Should you refuse, someone will be sent to take your life. Live or die, make your choice."_

"You gotta be shitting me." Tony muttered, before staring at what he knew was a double sided mirror. "Why are you doing this to us, you assholes!"

* * *

In a completely separate room, surrounded by television screens in what looked like a study, a woman with red hair and tattoos along her right arm smirked at Stark's yelling through grainy camera footage, before turning back towards a man with a metal left arm. The man had shaggy black hair, with his artificial limb being stuck tight in a vise to keep him from escaping. The rest of his body was cuffed to a modified chair, where his head rested inside another vise that was fixed to be automatic.

"Why… are you… doing this?" Bucky Barnes asked, fighting to stay awake.

"I'm just following his rules." The woman chuckled, brandishing a .44 handcannon. "You'd better hope they do too."

* * *

Tree woke up to the sound of her phone going off- again. This time, though instead of the annoying birthday ringtone, she had changed the music to AC/DC's _Back in Black_.

"Yello?" Tree yawned.

"Agent Gelbman, we need your help." Nick Fury's voice could be heard in an ear shattering decibel. "Two of the Avengers have gone missing, and I've had all the other members, as well as SHIELD, trying to assist in any way they can."

"On my way."

Ten minutes later, Tree was in her SHIELD uniform and in a briefing room, where Fury began interrogating her.

"Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have officially gone missing as of last night." Fury informed. "From what I understand, you were the last one that spoke with him at the hotel."

"He was a bit of a prick." Tree bluntly said, as her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"I won't deny that, but he left right after your conversation." Fury continued. "Now, I was able to track down what happened to him-"

"I thought you said you didn't know where they were." Tree blurted out.

"I lied." Fury shrugged, and pulled up security footage on a tablet. "This was from last night. Two individuals in pig masks dragged Rogers and Stark into a black van and drove off. Look familiar?" Tree squinted, seeing that Nick wasn't lying. Those people were wearing pig masks.

"No. Should it?" Gelbman asked.

"Yes. It's Jigsaw." Fury told her. "The masks are often worn by his accomplices."

"Who is Jigsaw?" Tree asked.

"Really?" Fury looked at her funny, before continuing. "Jigsaw was a serial killer who put his victims in deadly traps back in 2007, before Stark even built the Iron Man armor. His real name was John Kramer, and he died around a year after his 'games' began. Two years ago, there was a hoax that he was back."

"What happened?" Tree wondered.

"Turns out, when Agent Sharon Carter looked into it, the supposed game was just a copy of one that played out ten years prior." Fury explained.

"And now you want me to find Steve and Tony." Tree guessed.

"I already know where they are." Fury pulled up a satellite image, showing the footage of the same black van reaching a house on the outskirts of Manhattan, while the same people in the pig masks dragged a still unconscious Rogers and Stark with them. "I need you to rescue them."

"Why me?" Tree asked.

"Because if they die, you can probably reset the day yourself. That, and we found your picture at the facility. Seems someone's calling you out." Fury suggested. Once he noticed Tree give him a dirty look, he added, "I know that you become weaker if you die constantly, but I don't want to lose any lives today." Tree continued staring at the director of SHIELD, before exhaling sharply.

"You won't."


	4. Make Your Choice

Tree arrived at the suburban house Fury tracked down, seeing that the black van was still there.

"Alright, I'm here." Tree said into her comms. "What should I be looking for?"

"Just sweep the whole area." Fury ordered. "They've got to be there somewhere." Tree shut down her earpiece, and after taking a deep breath, she drew her standard Glock 17 firearm and kicked down the door.

In one of the rooms of the house, the red haired woman and Bucky looked up, hearing a crash and footsteps.

"Someone's here." Bucky warned, smiling. "It won't be long before they find me, or Steve and Tony."

"Perhaps." The woman smirked, beginning to load her revolver and watched the uninvited guest from a monitor. "Sit tight." The red head chuckled at her twisted joke, before leaving Barnes to search for the intruder.

Deep in the the bathroom basement, Tony and Steve heard the door upstairs being kicked down.

"Hear that?" Stark asked, looking up excitedly. "Someone's coming for us."

"Let's hope so." Rogers said worriedly, glancing at the clock. "Bucky has five minutes left."

Tree began sweeping through the house, room to room, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed like it was just a regular house.

"Dammit." Tree muttered, lowering her gun and activating her comms. "Director Fury, I think this is a bust- oof!" Tree felt herself being hit from behind, but before she collapsed on the ground, she quickly rolled forward and spun around, drawing the Glock once more and pointing it at her attacker. Once Tree stood back up, she took in the person standing before her, having red hair, tattoos along her right arm, and brandishing a .44 magnum revolver.

"You shouldn't be here." the woman said matter of factly.

"I disagree." Tree challenged, levelling her gun at the red head. "Who are you?"

"John's successor." the accomplice said proudly, and fired her magnum while backing up. Thinking quickly, Tree dove behind one of the room's walls, and waited for the sound of all six bullets of the revolver to be wasted.

"Shit." Jigsaw's accomplice muttered, and Tree emerged from her hiding spot, firing her glock and hitting her in the shoulder. The apprentice cried out in pain, clutching her shoulder, and began limping out of the room. Tree slowly followed her, eventually reaching a secret room in the house filled with television monitors. Gelbman looked around, noticing that a man with a metal arm was cuffed to a chair, with a strange vise like contraption on his head. Upon further inspection, there were three tall windows behind the monitors, covered with black curtains

"Let him go." Tree ordered.

"No." the red head nearly shouted. "You've sealed Mister Barnes' fate." With that, she pressed a button on the contraption, which slowly began closing in on his head. Tree instantly shot the woman in the chest, before going to help Barnes.

"How do I get this off?" Tree asked, while the vise kept closing.

"I- I don't think you can." Bucky admitted. "I just woke up with this." Tree tried pushing the same button the mysterious woman did, but nothing happened. She then tried shooting the vise, but the bullets ricocheted around the room.

"Stop." Bucky rasped out, as the vise started to press into his flesh. "Tony and Steve are here somewhere. You have to save them!"

"I'm going to save you too." Tree vowed.

"It's too late…" Bucky moaned, and the vise pressed closer, popping his eyes out of their sockets. Tree watched in horror, as the soldier's teeth shot out of his jaw, blood began pouring out his mouth, nostrils, and eyes, and within seconds, Barnes' head was completely crushed.

"No…" Tree gasped, fumbling for her glock. "I won't let someone die. I won't." Tree raised the glock to her head, hands shaking, and closed her eyes.

The last thing she heard was the crack of a gunshot, right next to her temple.

* * *

As she expected, Tree woke up on the same morning, having successfully reset the day. Unfortunately, she had a splitting headache, since the damage from the headshot carried over from her "death". Realizing that her phone was going off again, Tree shut off the AC/DC music and answered Fury's call.

"Morning Director." Tree greeted cheerfully. "I know, Rogers and Stark are captured by Jigsaw. I'm on my way to the location." The other line was silent for a moment, until Fury began to speak.

"You reset the day, didn't you?" Nick asked.

"Sure did." Tree said. "Someone named Barnes is also there. I'll call you once I secure the area." Before Fury could respond, Tree ended the call, put on her SHIELD uniform, took her glock, and left her apartment room without waking Carter.

* * *

Agent Gelbman approached the same house she investigated earlier, beginning to walk around the area for the windows with black curtains. Eventually, she found them, and after seeing movement behind the curtains, Tree charged forward, shooting the glass and jumping through the window.

Tree crashed through the broken glass, rolling across the floor and brought her gun up, pointing it right at the red haired woman.

"You shouldn't-" the woman tried to say, but Tree fired a shot, putting a hole right between her eyes.

"Heard it before." Gelbman muttered, before approaching Bucky. "You alright?"

"Yes." Barnes confirmed. "But Tony and Steve are here too."

"I know." Tree said casually, and patted down the red head's body, eventually finding a key around the corpse's neck. Tree quickly took the key, and after a few seconds of searching, found a lock on the vise contraption, which she unlocked. With the trap taken off, Bucky cracked his neck in relief, as Tree undid the vise that held his metal arm in place.

"Thanks." Bucky smirked, using his metal arm to rip off the cuff holding his flesh arm down. "Come on, we have to find Steve and Tony."

Tree and Bucky searched the house, eventually finding a trap door in what looked like the living room.

"Think they're down there?" Tree asked, while Bucky opened the door.

"Must be." Bucky muttered, and he descended down into a dark tunnel. Tree shrugged, before following the soldier. The pair walked through the tunnels for only a few minutes, and they eventually found a large iron door. Bucky used his metal arm to open it without much effort, finding Tony and Steve chained up to pipes on opposite ends of what looked like a dirty bathroom.

"Steve!" Bucky yelled, running towards his lifelong friend. Steve looked up, seeing his best friend.

"Buck?" Rogers asked, confused. "You're alright?"

"Yeah, she helped me." Bucky pointed over towards Tree, who was tending to Stark. "Hold on, lemme get you out of this."

"It's made of vibranium." Steve mumbled, but Bucky merely grinned.

"Have you forgotten what my new arm is made of?" Bucky grabbed the chain his his metal hand, and after a few tugs, the chain snapped, freeing Rogers. Bucky stood there for a moment, marvelling at his arm, before walking over to Tony and freeing him as well.

"You're all okay?" Tree asked, pulling out a phone to contact Fury. The three men nodded.

"Yeah, but ask Nick to look into this." Stark piped up. "Jigsaw's been dead for over twelve years now, but he knew about events that happened recently. Something doesn't add up." Tree nodded, and called the Director.

"Fury, I have Stark, Rogers, and Barnes with me." Tree reported. "They're all fine, but something's not right. Jigsaw knew about events that happened after his death. At least, that's what Tony told me."

"Interesting." Fury mused. "SHIELD agents are approaching the house now. Head back to my facility for debrief."


	5. A New Game's Afoot

"...And then I shot myself in the head to start a timeloop, so that I could save everyone." Tree finished her story back at one of SHIELD's safehouses.

"That would explain how you already knew which window to break into." Fury said aloud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "A forensic agent identified the woman as Eleanor Bonneville. Sound familiar?" Tree shook her head.

"No. Who was she?" Gelbman asked.

"She used to be a forensic scientist at the NYPD." Fury gave the rundown. "After speaking with a colleague of hers, Detective Keith Hunt, she had an obsession with Jigsaw and his traps, even constructing replicas of the games."

"Sounds like a crazy bitch." Tree laughed to herself.

"Apparently so." Fury agreed, before continuing. "The street footage showed two masked individuals exited the van. Did you ever see the second person in the house?"

"Nope." Tree grumbled. "And I have no idea who it could be, either."

"Leave that to me." Nick reassured her. "Get some rest, Agent Gelbman. You'll need it."

"Thank you, Director." Tree smiled, then got up and left the briefing room, on her way back to her apartment in New York.

* * *

"Babe, I'm home!"

Tree walked into her apartment, setting her glock down on the table next to the door. To her surprise, Carter wasn't still there.

"Carter?" Tree called again, going towards the bedroom, only to find that once again, Carter wasn't there. Suddenly, the shower in the bathroom turned on unexpectedly, and Tree made her way over to the bathroom.

"Carter, you there?" Tree playfully called out, nearing the door and flinging it open. Gelbman through back the shower curtain, only to reveal that no one was there. Frowning, Tree was about to turn around, but felt a sharp pain in her neck.

"Damn!" Tree exclaimed, reaching up and pulling out a syringe needle. "What-" As she slowly turned around, she began to lose consciousness. The last thing she saw was a man wearing a pig mask, and leaning on a cane.

"Ah, fuck…"

* * *

Nick Fury walked through the safe house, approaching a man in a wheelchair.

"Creighton, it's good to see you again." Fury greeted, sticking out his hand.

"Likewise, Nick." Creighton Duke agreed, reaching out with his own hand and shaking it. "I assume you'll need something?"

"Yes." Fury admitted. "Place the SHIELD file of Theresa Gelbman for candidate of the new task force I've been planning, under codename Umbra."

"Will do." Duke grinned. "Did she fight some undead serial killer?"

"No, but every time she dies, the day resets until she stops her killer." Nick revealed. "I'm having Strange figure out why though."

"Director Fury!" Nick turned around, seeing Sharon Carter striding towards him.

"What is it, Agent Carter?" Fury asked.

"Agent Gelbman has gone dark." Carter revealed. "We've searched her place, there's no sign of her anywhere."

* * *

Doctor Strange walked at a brisk pace through the halls of Kamar Taj, entering the library and finding Wong listening to music on his Ipod.

"Stephen." Wong said suddenly, taking out his earbuds. "I did not know you would be back soon!"

"Don't worry, old friend, the New York Sanctum is well guarded." Strange reassured the other wielder of magic. "I need to take a look at the Book of Cagliostro one last time."

"Whatever for?" Wong asked, hesitant. "The time stone was destroyed when that pirate released the gauntlet's power into the cosmos."

"I remember it clear as day, and I am grateful for it." Strange reminded his friend. "But I know of someone who seemingly has the ability to create a time loop every time she dies."

"So, it is like that movie called 'Groundhog Day'." Wong guessed.

"Exactly." Strange confirmed. "I'm hoping the book will shed light on how this is possible."

"Right this way." Wong and Strange walked towards a certain bookshelf, and right next to a blackened book labeled _Darkhold_, Wong took the Book of Cagliostro from it's spot and handed it to Strange.

"Thank you, old friend." Stephen mumbled, and began flipping through the pages. Once he finally got to the page about temporal loops, he began reading with earnest.

"Find anything?" Wong asked, after waiting for several minutes.

"Only that someone is able to cause temporal loops by themselves, but they require the time stone to put a spell on them." Doctor Strange closed the book. "But the one I am thinking of is no master of the mystic arts."

"Who is the one you speak of?" Wong asked curiously.

"Her name is Theresa Gelbman." Strange answered. "I met her two years ago with Nicholas Fury. Apparently, she caused a time loop every time she was murdered, until she stopped her killer." Wong gave Stephen a look that made it obvious he knew something.

"What?"

"I have heard that name before." Wong revealed. "There was a woman, Marianne Gelbman, who came here, in September of 1996. I only met her once, and I never knew what happened to her."

"Why not?" Strange asked, growing impatient.

"Because at the time, the Ancient One sent me on a mission to recover the Wand of Watoomb. My relic." Wong answered. "But Mordo should know. He was there before I left on my quest."

"Then it's time to pay him a visit." Strange muttered, and using his sling ring, he created a portal to another dimension. Without hesitation, he and Wong stepped through, preparing to interrogate the dimension's prisoner, Karl Mordo.


	6. Respawn

Tree woke up, gasping as her eyes adjusted to the dark room she was in. Using her training from SHIELD, Gelbman looked around, seeing a black buick with the engine running in the middle of the room, with a few feet behind it. Upon further inspection, there was a large door to her left, giving away she was in a garage of sorts, and it looked like someone was inside the car, repeatedly trying to punch their way out. On the hood of the car was a tape recorder, and without missing a beat, she walked over to it and pressed play.

"_Hello Theresa."_ A deep voice, that Tree somehow knew was Jigsaw's, greeted. "_You don't know me, but I know who you are. In case you are wondering why you are here, let me first congratulate you in surviving your first test in saving not only one, but three lives."_ A chill ran down Tree's spine, and she realized she played right into Jigsaw's plans.

"_That was merely a demonstration for me to see what you could do." _John's voice continued. "_There is no way you could have known which room James Barnes and Eleanor Bonneville were in on your first go. Which means you reset the day to save everyone._

"_I want to play a game. Today, you will realize that you can't just redo everyone. You can't save everyone. The man in the car is John Tombs. From what I understand, your roommate in college was going to set him up in killing you. You are the key to setting him free, and he is yours. Take a look at the x-rays."_ Tree looked down, noticing x-rays that showed a key lodged in her wrist.

"_I would act quickly if I were you."_ Jigsaw added. "_They say that inhaling carbon monoxide can kill within minutes. Are you willing to shed your own blood to save the life of a murderer and your would be killer? Live or die, make your choice."_

Tree dropped the tape recorder, momentarily in shock. She barely heard Tombs slamming his fists into the car windows, as well as his muffled screams of "Get me out of here!" Tree backed up in horror, and suddenly began coughing.

"Oh God." Gelbman gasped, realizing the carbon monoxide was already killing her. Tree stumbled back towards the black car, picking up a nearby knife next to the x-rays. "Oh shit. Oh shit…" Tree laid the sharp edge of the blade on her wrist, preparing to slash it open, but at the last second, she threw the knife down.

"I can't do this." Tree moaned. "I can't do this." Seconds later, Tree began a violent coughing fit, and she soon died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

* * *

Tree woke up from her death, finding herself in the garage once more.

"Dammit!" Tree yelled, grabbing the knife and slitting her own throat, in an attempt of escaping the game.

Unfortunately, Tree woke up in the same garage, and after stabbing herself in the heart in a last effort to cheat, she found herself lying in the same garage, next to the same car.

"Shit." Tree muttered, realizing she'd have to play the game. This time, she wasted no time in grabbing the knife, and after taking a few deep breaths, she cut her left wrist open, quickly taking out the key and opening the car door.

"Get me out of here." John Tombs growled, and after a moment of hesitation, Tree cut his duct tape bonds. In a way of saying thanks, Tombs took a key out of his pocket, opened the garage door and the two of them left the death trap.

"Shit." Tree gasped for fresh air, while she moved to sit on the floor. "What next?"

"Now you're dead!" Tombs declared grabbing the knife. Tree looked on in horror, only having a second to comprehend what was going on before Tombs plunged the knife through her eye.

"Oh c'mon!" Tree yelled, once she woke up again, blinking for a few moments to regain her eyesight. By now, Gelbman was getting annoyed, so she quickly cut her wrist, unlocked the car door with her key, then took Tombs' hey and left the garage, meanwhile leaving the murderer to die.

Tree looked around the room she was in, realizing she was now in the kitchen, but the doorways towards the other rooms in the house seemed to be walled off with reinforced steel. Next to the kitchen sink was another tape recorder, which she played.

"_You should know by now, there are no resets in life."_ Jigsaw's deep voice could be heard once more. "_If you have made it this far, congratulations, you passed your second test in saving the life of a murderer. Now, follow the path laid before you towards your third test."_ Tree looked up noticing a sign with an arrow was pointing towards the living room, and without missing a beat, she made her way there. Once she arrived, Tree took a good look at her surroundings, and let out a scream.

* * *

Tony Stark was still recovering from his capture at the hands of Jigsaw, spending most of his time at the New Avengers facility. Once again, Steve was called on another mission as Captain America, leaving Stark all alone, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him coming.

"Boss, someone's at the door." FRIDAY's voice rang throughout the compound. "It's Director Fury."

"Let him in." Stark groaned. In a few minutes, Nick Fury walked in, sitting down across from Tony in a chair.

"Still recovering, I see." Fury said half-heartedly.

"What do you want, Nick?" Tony harshly asked. "I know you need me to do something for you, so spit it out."

"If you want to be that direct, then fine." Fury growled back. "I believe Agent Gelbman has been kidnapped and forced to play one of Jigsaw's games."

"And why can't you have your other SHIELD agents look for her?" Tony inquired.

"Because we haven't found any footage from her apartment after you and Rogers were freed." Fury explained. "I was hoping you could recover them."

"I'll do my best." Tony sighed, before taking out his own tablet. "Friday, see if you can find any security footage of Theresa Gelbman's apartment in the last twelve hours. If you have to hack into anything, do it."

"Right away, Boss." FRIDAY cheerfully replied. Unfortunately, minutes later, the AI spoke up again. "I'm sorry, but there is no footage of the area you mentioned. All of it was scrubbed and erased forever."

"You're kidding." Stark muttered. "We can't even hack anything?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Damn!" Tony swore, throwing the tablet onto the couch. "Back to square one!"

"Not necessarily." Fury pointed out. "Maybe you can fly around Manhattan in your suit, see if you can find anything out of the ordinary." Stark nodded, and after hailing his old Mark 42 suit with re injected implants, the skyroof opened up, and Iron Man blasted away.

"Guess I'm back to looking at the satellites." Fury mumbled, taking out his SHIELD tablet.

* * *

Doctor Strange and Wong ventured through what looked like a darkened hallway in a parallel dimension, taking long strides.

"You should have sent him to the Dark Dimension." Wong muttered. "After everything he did."

"Maybe it's because of what I need to know now is why I didn't." Strange briskly replied, and the two masters of the mystic arts continued walking, without saying another word to each other. After what felt like hours later, Strange and Wong reached a prison cell, where Karl Mordo stood facing the stone walls.

"Mordo." Stephen cleared his throat. "I need your help."

"Why should I help you, Strange?" the former pupil of the Ancient One asked. "You have broken every rule of the natural laws ever since you became a sorcerer!"

"It was always for a good cause." Strange defended. "And this has nothing to do with the natural laws. It has to do with a girl."

"What do you mean?" Mordo asked, narrowing his eyes.

"There's a young woman. Theresa Gelbman." Doctor Strange elaborated. Upon Mordo's surprised expression, Stephen continued. "You've heard of her?"

"Her, no. That name…" Karl closed his eyes in remembrance. "There was a young woman who came to Kamar-Taj in 1996. She was with child, but was ill. The Ancient One pitied her and took her in. I was the only one who recognized it as a mistake, as we discovered that she had broken into the library and used the Book of Cagliostro and the Time Stone to give the child partial immortality."

"Theresa." Strange realized. "What became of her?"

"The woman was banished from Kamar-Taj, despite her claims of a vision from the future." Mordo continued. "She believed her child would be murdered on her birthday in 2017, and that was her reasoning for destroying our trust."

"But her daughter did die." Strange revealed. "If Theresa's mother didn't cast the spell, she would've stayed dead."

"Either way, the bill came due- eventually." Mordo shrugged. "I heard the woman died years ago." Strange looked at his former friend with distrust.

"How do I know you aren't lying?" Stephen asked.

"Have I ever lied to you, Strange?" Mordo asked honestly. Doctor Strange stared at him with his mouth agape, already knowing the answer.

"We're done here." Strange decided, and he and Wong quickly left the dimension and went back to the Earthly plane.

The moment Strange and Wong returned to the New York Sanctum, the SHIELD earpiece Strange was given by Nick Fury beginning going off like a phone.

"What is it, Nick?" Strange quickly asked. "I need to speak with Theresa Gelbman."

"That's the thing-" Fury stated. "We don't know where she is." Strange blinked, before speaking again into his earpiece.

"What?"

"We believe she is playing one of Jigsaw's games." Fury continued. "You've heard of him, right?"

"Yeah, in one of the earlier games, a colleague of mine, Lawrence Gordon, was chained in a basement, where he was given a time limit to kill his cellmate." Strange recounted. "I used to work with him at the Angel of Mercy Hospital, before transferring to Metro General. Come to think of it, he began to act rather odd after the whole ordeal, even more so after John Kramer's accomplice, Mark Hoffman, was declared dead."

"Whatever the case was with him, I need your help in finding my agent." Fury ordered. "I'm already having Stark fly around in the hopes he'll catch something or someone, but I need you to locate her."

"How will I do that?" Strange asked rhetorically. "I'd help if I could, but I would need a physical piece of her or her family to perform a location spell. I'm sorry, Fury."

"Dammit." Fury sighed into the earpiece. "I'll have to rely on Stark now."


	7. The Final Test

Tree stood in the middle of the room, her jaw hanging ajar. Right in front of her were two cells, each holding someone she knew, albeit chained up. In one cell, her boyfriend, Carter Davis. In the other, her father, David Gelbman.

"Oh my God, Carter!" Tree shouted, then looked towards her father. "Dad!"

"Tree, what's going on?" Carter asked, with David having a similar reaction. Tree looked around frantically, noticing that there were two podiums in front of the cells, each with a red button, and there was something that looked like an automated machine gun pointing at each cell. On the left podium was yet another tape recorder, and without hesitation, Tree pressed play.

"_Welcome, Miss Gelbman, to your third test."_ Jigsaw informed. "_You have saved your friends without one of them dying. You saved the man who would have murdered. Now there is one more lesson you must learn: that you can not save everyone._

"_In front of you are two cells, each holding someone dear to your heart. The buttons will set them free, but be warned, whichever cell you open, the other shall be riddled with bullets. You have sixty seconds to save just one of them, or they will both die. Who will you choose to save, I wonder? Your boyfriend, whom you met a couple years ago, or your father, who you had avoided for years since your mother's death? Live or die, make their choice."_

Tree stood there, paralyzed at her predicament, and looked over to Carter and her dad, who had shocked expressions on their faces as well.

"Tree, are you still there?" Carter asked. "Look! The time's running out!" Tree looked up, and there was a red digital clock. Already, twenty seconds had passed.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Tree kept telling herself, pacing around the room. While she was still indecisive, the clock kept running down.

"Theresa, clock's ticking." David warned, as there was no only ten seconds left. Making a split second decision, Tree pushed both buttons, hoping to cheat the system. Unfortunately, both machine guns began firing, killing both her boyfriend and father.

"No!" Tree screamed. Gelbman began bursting in tears, having killed two of the most important people in her life. In her desperation, Tree grabbed the knife she kept from the garage, and after taking several quick breaths, she slit her own throat.

* * *

After rushing the garage trap again, Tree found herself in the living room, starting the trap again. This time, she tried thinking on how she could get both Carter and David out. Sadly, the timer ran out, and both men died again, prompting Tree to commit suicide by slashing her already damaged wrists.

Tree woke up in the garage, again. By now, she was getting irritated, and after going through the same trap for what felt like the tenth time, Gelbman entered the living room once more, and the game started up.

"I'm sorry." Tree told both her father and Carter tearfully. "I can't save both of you. I've already tried."

"How many times have you gone through the loop?" Carter asked, with a look of disappointment and fear on his face.

"Too many to count." Tree admitted, looking down at the floor. David looked at his daughter with pity, before making a decision.

"Press Carter's button." Gelbman told his daughter. "Save him."

"But if I do, you'll die." Tree painfully reminded him.

"I know." David said sadly. "But you both have your lives ahead of you. I on the other hand… I'll finally be with your mother." David looked at his kid one more time, reaching out to wipe away her tears.

"Just know that we'll always be with you." Gelbman said softly. Tree looked up at her father, smiling, and looked at the timer. Five seconds to go. With her father's blessing, she pushed Carter's button without hesitation, freeing her boyfriend but condemning her last blood relative to death.

"Dad." Tree looked at her father's mangled corpse, beginning to feel the weight of his sacrifice. Just as she was beginning to cry, Carter lunged forward, wrapping her girlfriend in a warm hug.

"Thank you." Carter whispered. "I'm sorry about your father."

"I'm sorry too." Tree said back. "At least he's with Mom now…" Tree looked behind her, seeing a door light up with a sign that said 'Final Test'.

"Carter, you have to stay here." Tree told her boyfriend. "I still have one more thing to do."

"What about all those times you've reset the day?" Carter asked worriedly. "Aren't you getting weaker?" Tree stared at him with wide eyes. He was right. Throughout this time, she forgot that most of the wounds inflicted on her carried over each day.

"Oh God." Tree began feeling sick, realizing how severe those deaths were.

"Let me help you." Carter pleaded. "There's a chance you might not survive another reset."

"No." Tree said adamantly. "I have to do this alone." With that, Tree attempted to shrug off the pain to the best of her ability, and walked towards the door that said 'Final Test', leaving Carter in the living room.

* * *

Tony continued flying around Manhattan, searching for anything pointing to Jigsaw, when he suddenly received a call.

"Boss, you got a call from Nick Fury." FRIDAY stated the obvious.

"Put him through." Stark muttered, and Fury's face showed up in the Iron Man's heads up display.

"Stark! Have you found where the game is being played?" Nick asked. "Strange was unable to locate Agent Gelbman."

"I would if you'd stop calling." Tony retorted. Suddenly, the billionaire saw a black van out of the corner of his eye. The same black van that took him and Steve Rogers. "Hold on. Just found the vehicle that picked Steve and I up. It's parked in a suburban driveway."

"What's the address?" Fury quickly asked.

"It's 2904 Bell street." Iron Man told the director of SHIELD.

"Great. Sending a squad of agents now." Nick replied. "Thank you, Stark. We can take it from here." Before Tony opened his mouth to make a snappy comeback, Fury ended communications.

"Something's not right." Tony muttered. "Leaving an obvious clue as to where he is? Unless…

"_He wants someone to go there._"

* * *

"Agent Tobin, are your men in position?" Nick Fury asked over comms. It had only taken ten minutes, but Fury had gathered a small team of five to raid the house where the newest Jigsaw game was being held.

"Affirmative. We're awaiting your order." Agent Donnie Tobin replied.

"What are you waiting for? Get in there and rescue your fellow agent." Fury commanded, and Tobin kicked the front door down. The SHIELD agents marched in, only to find nothing out of the ordinary.

"What the Hell?" Tobin asked out loud, expecting to see some type of trap. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a door that seemed to be locked, with the door made of reinforced steel.

"Form up." The team got behind Tobin, and he put one of SHIELD's lock picking devices against the door, steeling himself for the small explosion. After an audible pop, Tobin kicked the door down, only to hear the tripwire being pulled.

"Oh, fuck-" was all the agent could say, until a jar full of nails exploded, impaling all five of the agents.

"Agent Tobin, are you there?" Fury's voice could be heard in Tobin's earpiece. "Are you there, Donnie? Respond, dammit!"

* * *

Tree mentally prepared herself, wondering what she would find next, and quietly opened the door to the next room. Once she was inside, she realized that she was in a bedroom of sorts, with a creepy looking doll sitting at the bed's foot. The doll had long black hair, a white face, and had red swirls painted on the cheeks, with a blood red smile and red eyes. Upon a second look, the doll was also wearing a tuxedo with a red bow tie. Next to it was a hand drawn picture of a tricycle.

"Welcome to your final test." Tree nearly jumped out of her skin, and she turned around in a second, noticing a man with blonde hair and a cane sitting in a chair in the corner.

"Who are you?" Tree asked, pulling out her knife.

"The people in the news media called me 'Jigsaw'. The man who used this body first was Lawrence Gordon." the man began to explain. "Allow me to introduce myself: I'm John Kramer."


	8. Zepp Nine

_Flashback_

_2007_

_During my last moments in my original body, I had decided that I had wanted to see my games through. I came to that decision once I discovered that my protege, Amanda, had rigged the games to be unwinnable. I had finally used my knowledge of the supernatural to my advantage, and in doing so, I had been reborn._

As John Kramer lay on the hospital bed in the Gideon Meatpacking building, he watched as Doctor Lynn Denlon was being explained by Amanda Young on what she had to do.

"Amanda… can you please leave us?" John had asked, but the question was directed at Lynn. Seeing no other alternative, Denlon left the room, leaving the master and accomplice alone.

"I need you to do something for me." John requested, pausing to cough. As Amanda moved in closer to hear, he continued. "Bring me Billy." Amanda quickly left the room, and within minutes, she returned with John's puppet that he always used in his games.

"I have been unfair in keeping secrets from you." Kramer spoke sadly.

"What do you intend to do?" Amanda asked.

"When I was a younger man, I knew a voodoo priest who went by the name of Doctor Death." John began his story, his mind flashing back to his old friend, John Bishop, and an average sized book that was as black as midnight. "He taught me how to give myself a second chance. A shame that his other student, Charles Lee Ray, abused that knowledge and murdered him in cold blood…"

"John, what are you going to do?" Amanda asked, now worried. Kramer's eyes wandered towards his apprentice.

"Amanda, leave me. Please." Young looked hurt at the request, but nevertheless, slowly walked out the room. At long last, John was alone, and he began to get to work.

"_Ade due, Damballa, give me the power I beg of you. Moreteisme lieu de vocuier de mieu vochette. Transfert sur le moment de la mort. Endelieu pour de boisette Damballa! Endelieu pour de boisette Damballa! Endelieu pour de boisette Damballa!_"

_The moment my heart stopped after Jeff Denlon slashed my throat with a power saw, my soul bonded with the puppet. I was now free to observe the games I had planned out, but never directly interfered. Thankfully, Mark Hoffman had followed the rules, setting up fair and winnable games, until he murdered my wife, and Doctor Gordon was forced to step in…_

"Game over."

"No!" Mark Hoffman screamed in anger, as Lawrence Gordon closed the bathroom, seemingly for good. Hoffman quickly tried to free himself of his chains, but without the saw that Gordon just threw out of the room, he was trapped forever.

While Hoffman kept trying to break the chain around his leg, he heard a familiar cackle.

"The fuck?" Mark asked aloud, looking around, but saw nothing, as the lights were off. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he could've sworn he saw two glowing red eyes, but they vanished as soon as he turned his head. "Fucking seeing things now."

Hoffman turned back around, only to feel a hacksaw slash his neck open. Mark choked on his own blood, reaching a hand up to clot the inevitable. With what little moments of life he had left, Hoffman looked down at what attacked him, his eyes bugging out when he saw what it was.

It was the puppet Billy, standing up at him, holding onto the saw.

Once Mark Hoffman succumbed to his wounds, John Kramer, his soul still trapped in the doll, made his way back to Doctor Gordon's office, where his greatest asset did not hear him come in. The doctor didn't even look up when the window was slightly opened.

"Hello again, Doctor Gordon." Jigsaw announced his presence, causing Lawrence to flinch in surprise. He instantly spun around, catching an eyeful of the puppet.

"John?" Gordon asked, recognizing the voice. The doll nodded.

"I told you I would keep no more secrets from you." Jigsaw told his accomplice. "I feel I should thank you for immediately taking action against Hoffman. But I must ask one more thing from you."

"And what is that?" Gordon asked curiously.

"Allow me to use your body to continue my work, while you use this puppet as your vessel." Jigsaw offered. "This body… it is changing me. Minutes ago, it turned me into what I despise most; a murderer. I am on the third day, I don't have much time before I am trapped in this prison forever."

"You helped me once." Lawrence told the puppet. "You saved me, and caused my rebirth. I see no better way to thank you."

"You have my thanks, Doctor Gordon." Jigsaw murmured, before placing his hand on top of Gordon's head. "_Ade due, Damballa. Give me the power I beg of you…_"

_After I transferred my soul into Doctor Gordon's body, all we could do was wait. It wasn't until Logan Nelson decided to kill without making his games winnable, when we acted. Unfortunately, Logan failed his test, so I had to recruit Eleanor Bonneville in kidnapping Mister Stark and Rogers…_

"And now, you have a choice." Jigsaw told Tree. "Either kill the man who put you through this pain, or spare him. Can you do that? Have mercy on someone who caused you misery?"

"Wait, you said you and the doc swapped bodies…" Tree spun around, just in time to see the creepy looking puppet jump up and punch her in the face.

"Shit!" Tree began to fall back, but stuck her arms out for balance. Once she was able to get back up, Gelbman looked around, not being able to find the doll. Suddenly, without warning, she felt something wrap around her neck, and as she looked towards the bedroom mirror, the puppet had jumped up and used a bedsheet to try to strangle her.

"Get off, damn you!" Tree yelled, taking the knife and quickly cutting the bedsheet away, saving herself from choking. Without a moment to waste, Tree pivoted on her feet, spinning around just in time to see the puppet jumping up at her. At this point, Tree's brain was on autopilot, and she held up the knife in self defense, and the blade was driven through the doll's chest.

"The Hell?" the puppet asked in Doctor Gordon's voice, looking down and noticing that a dark, red blood began leaking from his chest wound. Human blood. "Oh, shit…" the doll swayed for a few seconds, before collapsing to the ground, dead.

"A shame, that." Tree turned back to Jigsaw, who had a disappointed look on his face. "I was rather fond of Doctor Gordon."

"Maybe he shouldn't have attacked me." Tree sneered, raising her knife. "And you're going to pay for what you've done to me, and my father." Tree pointed her knife towards Jigsaw's heart, preparing to end the serial killer's life, but noticed something. John Kramer was smiling.

"No…" Tree declared, moving the knife away from Jigsaw. "I'm not going to play your game."

"Congratulations then, Theresa." Kramer smiled. "You've passed your final test."

"Not quite." Tree then punched Jigsaw in the face, knocking him out for the time being. "Game over, asshole."

* * *

In the following minutes, Tree and Carter made it out of the game, which was revealed to be located in John Kramer's old house. After being able to find a nearby phone in the house, Tree managed to contact Fury.

"Director Fury, It's Agent Gelbman." Tree spoke into a burner phone she found in a secret compartment of the house.

"Agent Gelbman? Where are you?" Fury asked frantically.

"I'm in a house in the suburbs." Tree reported. "My guess is Queens. The address is 2717 Passmore Avenue."

"Got it. Sending a team there." Fury told her.

"Oh, and one more thing." Tree added. "I've got Jigsaw." For a few moments, there was silence, until Nick spoke again.

"Good work, agent." Fury congratulated Tree. "I'll be there myself." Pretty soon, a small group of SHIELD agents, led by Nick Fury himself, arrived at the house, ready to collect the survivors.

"So, Jigsaw." Fury smirked, seeing John Kramer for the first time, while agents put handcuffs on him. "We meet at last."

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Director Fury." Kramer cracked a smile.

"You know, SHIELD could've used your expertise." Fury told the serial killer. "You really would've fit in with our technician, Fitz."

"As you can see, I work on my own terms." John chuckled.

"Very well." Fury grumbled, before looking at the agents holding Jigsaw. "Take him to the Fridge." The two agents nodded, and led Kramer out of the house, preparing for the long trip. As John Kramer was taken away, Nick turned to Tree.

"Outstanding work, Agent Gelbman." Fury said again. "And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Director. I truly appreciate it." Tree wiped away a tear. "If I could reset the day for a different outcome… but that madman ensured that either my dad or Carter would die, no matter how many times I try to undo it."

"That's the thing about Kramer… he was always a ten steps ahead." Fury muttered, before walking away. With Fury gone, Carter approached Tree, attempting to comfort her.

"Hey, I truly am sorry about your father." Carter said truthfully. "If I could, I would take his place."

"No." Tree said adamantly. "No. I couldn't live with myself if I let you die." Before Carter could say anything else, Tree leaned in and kissed him. Not wanting to fight, Carter allowed the kiss to continue, and the couple wrapped their arms around each other, not wanting to ever let go.


	9. Epilogue: Every Journey Has It's End

_Two Days Later_

Tree and Carter were on their usual morning routine, including an early jog in Central Park. After half an hour of jogging, the couple took a small break, resting at a bench that was facing the carousel.

"I'm kinda wishing I didn't slam my breakfast." Carter joked, wearing a sheepish smile on his face.

"I'm just glad you agreed to do this with me." Tree grinned.

"You know I'd do anything for you." Carter smiled back. "You said yourself I died trying to save you in one of the loops." Carter then leaned towards his girlfriend, about to kiss her, when some sort of electrical energy noise was heard. Tree and Carter turned their heads in the direction of the carousel, where the watched a portal open up, and Doctor Strange walked out.

"Miss Gelbman." Strange greeted politely, looking at the pair. "Mister Davis."

"Doctor Strange." Tree and Carter said in unison.

"Come with me." Strange requested. "There is something you must know."

* * *

Tree and Carter followed Stephen Strange through the halls of the New York Sanctum, wondering why he needed to speak with them.

"I had heard about your father, Theresa." Strange revealed, looking at Gelbman with sadness. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, but I doubt that is what you are meaning to talk about." Tree responded, getting straight to the point.

"You're right. I just thought of giving you a few days to grieve for your father." Strange told her. "While you imprisoned in one of John Kramer's games, I was searching for the answer on why you can create time loops upon your death. I had to visit Mordo to reveal the secrets I desired."

"And what did you find?" Carter asked, anxious for an explanation.

"As it turns out, a woman, your mother, had arrived at Kamar-Taj, in 1996." Strange began his story. "My former master, the Ancient One, took her in, as she was ill and with child. You."

"What did she do?" Tree asked, eager to solve the mystery.

"She broke into the library, and cast a spell on you using the Book of Cagliostro and the Time Stone." Strange answered. "You wanted to know why you're able to reset the day on your death? That's it." Tree felt like she got hit by a brick wall, and sat in a chair behind her.

"I- I didn't know…" Tree murmured, before looking up at the sorcerer. "Is that why my mother died?"

"It could be." Strange said truthfully, looking down at the floor. "Mordo did always say that the bill comes due for all of us…" Tree stared at the doctor, gaining an idea.

"Do you think you could undo the spell?" Tree asked, hopeful.

"Are you sure?" Strange asked. "Your mother-"

"I'm grateful that she gave me virtually unlimited chances at life. I really am." Tree interrupted. "But I'd like to live my life to the fullest, without already knowing what will happen." Doctor Strange stared at Gelbman, then towards Carter, who was beaming at his girlfriend.

"You are wise beyond your years, Theresa." Stephen complimented, before opening a miniature portal and pulling out the Book of Cagliostro. "With the Time Stone destroyed, as well as the spell caster being deceased, it will be difficult, but I should be able to reverse the spell…" Strange began flipping through the pages. "Here we are." Strange began waving his hands in bizarre motions, and green circles appeared around his wrists. The Sorcerer Supreme reached one hand out towards Tree, and she felt an a field of energy within her, as multiple miniature circles surrounded his hand. With another gesture, and Strange's other hand passing over his wrist, the small circles vanished, and Tree felt the energy leave her body.

"Did it work?" Strange nodded.

"It did. You will no longer enter a time loop upon death." Strange confirmed. "But be wary; if you die, you will stay dead." Tree smirked, and got up and hugged Carter.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Tree replied happily. Just then, Tree felt her communicator going off.

"Agent Gelbman, I need to speak with you, ASAP." Fury ordered, once she turned the communicator on. "Meet me on the Helicarrier."

"On my way." Tree quickly said, before turning to Strange. "Do you think you could…"

"Done." Doctor Strange waved his hands again, creating a portal to the Helicarrier. "Good luck, Miss Gelbman." Tree grinned, thanking the master of the mystic arts, and she and Carter walked through the portal towards the director of SHIELD.

* * *

Tree walked briskly towards the bridge, meeting Nick Fury and, surprisingly, Tony Stark.

"You've done one Hell of a job these last few days, Agent." Fury congratulated Tree. "I think you've earned a temporary vacation."

"And thanks for making sure I wasn't in a 'Hills Have Eyes' scenario." Tony joked, winking at Gelbman.

"You're welcome." Tree mumbled, before turning back to Fury. "This can't be all you wanted to talk about."

"Of course not." Fury agreed. "I was thinking on recommending you for a special task force, codenamed Umbra. It was conceived to fight off supernatural threats to this world."

"Or, you could join the Avengers." Tony suggested. "That's why I'm here."

"I appreciate both offers, but I respectfully decline." Tree politely replied. "I'm satisfied with staying as a regular agent."

"Very well, Agent Gelbman." Fury smirked. Tree nodded, and was about to leave, when she was called back. "Hold on. There's one thing I don't get. When I saw Jigsaw at that house, he looked nothing like John Kramer. What did he do?"

"He transferred his soul into a puppet, then into the body of his colleague, Lawrence Gordon." Tree answered. She turned back towards Fury, who seemed to have a shocked expression on his face. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Fury lied. "How did he learn this?"

"He claimed that he had a mentor named John Bishop, but another pupil, Charles Lee Ray, murdered him." Fury gulped for a second, before he spoke again.

"Thank you, Agent Gelbman. You are dismissed." Fury ordered. Tree nodded, and left with Carter.

"How come you had the time loop power removed?" Carter asked. "You could have undone anything you did wrong."

"After dying countless times already, I'd rather just have one go at it all." Tree said honestly. "It's better to not know which moment could be my last. And this way, every fiber of my being is alive with every waking second of it all." Carter smiled at his girlfriend's philosophy, and the two walked down the halls of the Helicarrier, hand in hand.

Back at the bridge, Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating what he had just learned.

"Hey, Nick, you alright?" Stark asked, noticing Fury's change in behavior.

"I'm fine, Stark." Nick lied again, and he began to walk away, but spoke to Maria Hill before leaving the bridge. "Agent Hill, prep a quinjet for my departure. I'm going to visit an old friend."

* * *

An hour later, Nick Fury exited the quinjet and entered what looked like an ordinary house from the outside. Inside, however, it was a safehouse facility for SHIELD.

"Director Fury." the guard stood at attention, as Fury strode past him and walked through the safehouse, eventually finding his old friend, Creighton Duke, who was still in his wheelchair.

"Welcome back, Nick." Duke grinned up at his friend. "Need something?"

"Yes." Fury got straight down to business. "Pull Theresa Gelbman's file from the task force candidates."

"Any reason for this?" Duke asked.

"She declined the invitation." Nick replied casually. "But start a new file. This one on Andrew Barclay."

"Where have I heard that name before?" Creighton asked.

"He battled the killer doll, Chucky." Fury explained. "According to Agent Gelbman, John Kramer used a similar method of Charles Lee Ray's to transfer his soul into a doll."

"So you believe that if Kramer breaks free, you could use Barclay." Duke jumped to the conclusion.

"Just do it." Fury ordered. "We might need him soon."

* * *

_The Fridge_

At a top secret SHIELD prison, located in the middle of nowhere, John Kramer laid on his cell's cot, blissfully dreaming in the night.

Suddenly, Jigsaw bolted upright, finding himself in a warehouse.

"What is this?" Kramer asked aloud, but suddenly heard a familiar cackle. "No, not him…" John felt a searing pain, and he looked down, seeing a glove with four knives protruding from his chest.

"Sorry Johnny boy." Freddy Krueger mocked, moving around to look Kramer in the face.

"Krueger… why?" Jigsaw asked, spitting up blood. "Why are you doing this?"

"There's room for only one mastermind here." Freddy sneered. "And I can't let you interfere with my plans."

"What do you mean?" John asked, bewildered.

"I know you were going to place people like Barclay, Strode, and Jarvis in your fucked up 'games'." Freddy accused. "And I can't have that." Deciding he was done talking, Krueger conjured three circular saw blades right next to him, and with a flick of his finger, sent them flying towards Jigsaw. Two of the blades impaled Kramer in the chest, while the third embedded itself in John's skull, killing him instantly. Freddy smirked, as he watched Jigsaw's body crumple to the ground.

"Game over, bitch!"

_The End_

* * *

**A/N: And that's the end of this story! Just in time too, since Happy Death Day 2U comes out tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who stuck with this one!**


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